Russian drone strike kills captain on cargo ship in Black Sea

A Russian drone strike killed the captain of the cargo ship Royad Mammadov in the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. The vessel, which was carrying corn and owned by Turkey, caught fire and sank within Romania's exclusive economic zone, approximately 30 nautical miles south of its port of Sfantu Gheorghe. Romania's Interior Ministry confirmed two deaths and the rescue of 11 crew members, who were nationals of Azerbaijan and India.

Zelensky condemned the attack as "horrific" and accused Russia of consistently choosing "terror and sinking civilian vessels" instead of ensuring normal maritime navigation. He called for pressure to restore global food security. Russia's defense ministry had earlier stated it struck two cargo vessels, amid ongoing retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure following Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil refineries and ships.

The incident occurred within Romania's exclusive economic zone, near the Pescarus offshore oil platform operated by OMV Petrom. This attack is the latest in a series of incidents affecting commercial shipping in the Black Sea, impacting maritime trade routes.